May 2014 Blog Posts (18)

Not much to write about at this time (midday) short of the fishing potential for this weekend being through the ceiling -- make that through the perfect sky. There will be some briskish NE winds but nothing SCA worthy.

Thursday, May 29, 2014: I came that close to inviting home a 28-incher but, as usually happens, he looked me in the eyes and sent me a message “Don’t do it, dude … please.” I repented and released … then realized that fish isn’t so kind when he’s sucking down begging bunker and cringing crabs.

Lightish winds tomorrow and not-bad winds over the weekend could make this another just-fine fishing stretch.…

5/28/14: It was nice while it lasted. We’re back to the easterlies. They could kinda very testy from the NE tomorrow before calming down for the weekend. The weather should follow suit -- rainy patches until Saturday when the sun should rain down.

I really enjoy when so many folks have such fine fishing, as was the case for many an angler over the weekend. Via emails and various forms of social media, I saw…

Monday, May 26, 2014: No holidays in my business but I am enjoying the flood of fish hookups.

That said, I do want to point out that none of us could be enjoying ideal fishing days like these if it weren’t for the men and women who fought – and too many, died – to keep our freedoms alive and biting, so to speak. Importantly, the folks who serve and have served off the battlefield are absolutely as important as those on the…

IMPORTANT: SALTWATER REGISTRY IS BEING CHECKED. DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.

Friday, May 23, 2014: You always hear it’s not the heat it’s the humidity, well in angling the saying is “It’s not the rain it’s the wind.” OK, so maybe I just made that up but I’m getting hyped for the holiday weekend, which could see drippage but, hopefully, some workable winds, mainly Sunday and Monday. That makes fishing potential fair to good for the weekend; mainly bayside and…

5/21/14: Just a couple videos showing some rock anglers having a great time today with bluefish on the South Jetty, BL. It was incoming tide and metals were far-and-away the way to go. Swimming plugs were either ignored or simply swiped at. No bass but the folks catching the blues couldn't have cared less. …

Fluking begins this Friday (May 23) and will go from zero to frenzy with a fine holiday weekend on tap. The minimum size if 18 inches, with a five-fish bag limit. I’ve already gotten a dozen or so reports of fluke being hooked as bycatch. Many have been legal-sized flatties, all dutifully released. Those nice sizes likely have to do with the larger bait chunks being thrown out for blues and bass.

I had calls about the bunker die-off just to our north. It was big and, at first, unexplainable. Early guesses included algal poisoning -- or lowered dissolve oxygen from algal blooms. That didn’t work for me; too early in the algae season. Plus, I knew better – from my years as a keeper of saltwater fish tanks. It was a clear case of hypoxia, i.e. death by suffocation. In fact, suffocation die-offs are fairly common menhaden phenomena, dating back to days of yore.…

Busted Flat With Headphones on; How to Fight a Fox Over a Turkey

Wednesday, May 14, 2014: Winds ran roughshod over the easy angling we had a short while back – when bass were being landed left and right. Still, a sweet striper came through the suds, one to Rob V., 31-lbs 14-oz. See below.…

(Above) Just got sent this pic of a myself and a 50-pounder. It was tourney time or I wouldn't have kept it. That same year, I released 227 bass unharmed. Yes, I used to tabulate. I kinda earned keeping this one -- but still felt a bit bad. I think I could now keep it alive long enough to weigh…

Jay, read your short Sandpaper blurb about the fisheries economics study from our federal government – while it’s true that I’ve spent much of my life criticizing and ridiculing government efforts (I love my country, I have serious doubts about those annointed to run it), I have to point something out to you for your analysis.